The Snow Angel by SunsetMiko

The Understanding

Chapter 231 - The Understanding

*Lost Lamb* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge 2)

"Mama, I have something to tell you," Kagome started. "A lot of things, really, but one big one."

"You're not coming home again, are you?" the older woman asked.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you...?"

"I always knew that it would happen someday, that you would eventually realize that you belonged in the past instead of here. Does this mean that you've finished your quest?"

"Yes, Mama. Naraku is dead, and we have all the shards, but that's not all that's happened."

"Well, let me make us some tea, and you can tell me all about it."

Kagome nodded and watched as her mother bustled about the kitchen. How could she take it so easily? How was she not in tears knowing that she would never see her only daughter again? Her mother was stronger than the miko had given her credit for, that was for sure.

Inside, Mrs. Higurashi was devastated, but she did her best to put on a brave face. She had seen this coming for a long time. Kagome had grown more and more comfortable in the Feudal Era and less and less at home in her time. Her daughter belonged in the past. She understood that and had come to accept it over time. She had been waiting for the day when Kagome would come to her and say goodbye, and now it was here.

*Repeated Strikes* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge 2)

When her mother returned with tea, Kagome grabbed her mug, soaking in the feeling of the warmth sinking into her cold hands. She always found tea comforting, probably because her mother always made it when there was something wrong. Now, as the miko searched for the strength to confess everything, she reveled in the feeling and the taste, knowing she likely would never have her mother's tea again.

"Mama, I'm sorry. I knew last time I came home, and I couldn't bring myself to tell you," Kagome started.

"I understand, dear," Mrs. Higurashi replied. "Just tell me what you have to say."

For the next hour, Kagome spilled everything, starting with finding Prince half dead buried under the snow. She went over how she dug the rope out of his throat, and how she knew the dog was special. She covered when Prince disappeared and Sesshoumaru showed up soon thereafter, and how she helped him find the spell bags that were keeping him out of his lands. Kagome told her mother about how she began to fall for the taiyoukai, and how he had fallen for her while he was trapped in the body of a mortal canine. It felt like she was attacking her mother blow by blow as every bit of the story explained further why she could not return.

The miko told Mrs. Higurashi that she was now happily mated and the new Lady of the Western Lands, including the story of Sesshoumaru's mother, what she did, and how she ended up. She went over the witch's potion and the final battle with Naraku. She cried as she spoke of Kohaku, of Sango's pain and loss, and smiled as she relayed the way the children welcomed her back to the palace. She explained that she now had all the jewel shards and her fears about the well.

"So, you think that once you fuse the shards together that the well may close?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. "Then I can understand why you would be afraid to use the well after that. It would be terrible for you to be trapped here with your mate and children on the other side. I think you're making the right choice to not come home again."

*Summer Will Come* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Kagome sighed in relief at her mother's words. She had hoped the older woman would understand but she feared she would be angry that her daughter was choosing others over her own family. Knowing that her mother understood and agreed with her did wonders in helping the miko calm.

It had been harder to explain to Souta why she was leaving him, and the boy never truly understood. He was angry, feeling that Kagome was abandoning him, and she felt terrible because she really was. She was choosing Shippo and Rin over her brother, and she felt like a horrible sister doing so.

Gramps seemed to understand before she even opened her mouth. Much like her mother, he expected this to happen sooner or later. He had already come up with a plan to tell the school and her friends where she disappeared to and was just waiting to put it into effect.

For the rest of the week, Kagome spent every second she could with her family, soaking them in like a sponge, knowing unless she lived 500 years she would never see them again, and she wasn't counting on that. So much could happen between the Feudal Era and her time that nothing was guaranteed.

She also gathered supplies, stocking up on things that she didn't want to live without, though she knew she would have to eventually. She couldn't possibly bring enough tampons to last until they were invented, but she could at least bring a lot of them home with her. She would mourn them when she ran out, just as Inuyasha would mourn the loss of his ramen when he ate the last package.

Finally, it was time to go back to the past, and her new family. The goodbye was tearful but full of love as Mrs. Higurashi whispered that they would be fine, to live her life happily and enjoy every second she had with her mate, her children, and her friends. Kagome jumped into the well with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes, torn between her future in the past and her past in the future.